Jeff Bezos is being sued by his girlfriend’s brother for defamation.
Michael Sanchez, a talent manager and the brother of Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, claims in a filed complaint obtained by PEOPLE that the Amazon founder and his consultant, Gavin de Becker, falsely told news outlets he had leaked “graphic, nude photographs” of Bezos to The National Enquirer, which is owned by AMI Media Inc., in January 2019.
The outlet published a story including leaked text messages between Bezos and Lauren earlier last year, outing their relationship while they were both still married to other people.
In the lawsuit, Michael says Bezos and de Becker were “scapegoating” him and “alienating him from his family and professional colleagues.”
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Bezos’ attorney William Isaacson said the mogul “has chosen to address this lawsuit in court and we will do that soon.”
In a statement on Sanchez’s behalf by her lawyer, Terry Bird, the news anchor said, “Michael is my older brother. He secretly provided my most personal information to the National Enquirer – a deep and unforgivable betrayal. My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace.”
A rep for de Becker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Michael said he worked with the Enquirer to help control the story on his sister’s behalf but denied leaking any graphic photos to the publication.
In January 2019, Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie announced they were divorcing after 25 years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in July. Shortly after Bezos and MacKenzie made their announcement, PEOPLE confirmed Sanchez was divorcing Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell after 13 years of marriage.
Michael is requesting unspecified punitive damages from Bezos and de Becker.
from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/2SbIcDc
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